Motorola is known for the reliability and practicality of its smartphones, which make it easier for users to live a “virtual life”. The company has variants in different price ranges and specifications. But conventional smartphones in the rectangular block format are almost a thing of the past, with the latest foldable devices appearing on the market. Someone might say that this is an old idea that has been modernised and introduced into the modern world of technology. And rightly so! However, now we have excellent folding screens. And most importantly, such models no longer cost a fortune like the first samples. Meet Motorola razr 40 – the first “budget” folding phone.
The entire global community is fighting against environmental pollution, so gadget manufacturers are also trying to join the green trends of today. Motorola is implementing a “recycle” policy in its new models. This means that you will find materials that are fully or partially recycled in the smartphones. Yes, the razr 40 has a leather finish. But you can rest assured that it is vegan leather, so no animals were harmed.
I was also surprised by the scent, the cardboard packaging is scented (we have already encountered this in the Edge 40 series) and smells quite pleasant. Perhaps this fact does not affect the performance and battery life of the smartphone, but it certainly creates a good first impression. In addition, the smartphone itself has this smell, which has been in the box for some time. From time to time, I just enjoyed the scent.
The kit additionally includes a two-piece plastic case (in the colour of the case) and a 33W charger with a USB-C to USB-C cable. Simple and concise – zero unnecessary instructions or unnecessary accessories.
Remember that the screen already has a protective film on it. However, you do not need to remove it, as this could damage the flexible screen.
Read also: Motorola Edge 40 review: the one that’s “top for its money”
The razr 40 is the cheapest folding phone available today. It costs from ∼$715 for the 8/256GB variant. Users can choose from three colour options: purple, cream, and green. We received the Sage Green version for review.
There are two models in the current razr lineup – the top-of-the-line razr 40 Ultra (called razr 40 Plus in the US market, but it’s the same model) and the basic razr 40. Obviously, the Ultra has better technical characteristics, but the basic 40 has a larger battery (4200 mAh instead of 3800 mAh). The main difference is a 3.6-inch external screen with a resolution of 1056×1066 pixels (413 ppi) and 144 Hz in the more expensive version, while the base model has a smaller 1.5-inch display with 60 Hz and a resolution of 194×368 pixels. The Ultra also has a better processor, a higher refresh rate for the main screen (165 Hz), faster UFS 3.1 memory, and glass panels.
Interestingly, the main camera in the Ultra model has 12 megapixels, while the regular version has 64 megapixels. But, as we know, numbers are not the main thing here. The module on the Ultra shows slightly better results, including support for video recording at 60 frames per second. And, of course, the phones differ in price – Ultra costs from ~$980. You can compare the technical characteristics of the devices, for example, here.
Read also: Motorola Edge 40 Pro review: Moto in the game
This is a typical flip phone that folds in half. When folded, it’s quite nice and compact, really pocket-sized.
When unfolded, the smartphone is quite narrow, but tall – a good option for viewing content. It’s also incredibly thin (only 7.35 mm) and lightweight, so the ergonomics are excellent.
The frame of the smartphone is made of metal in the colour of the body – it looks beautiful. The internal leather panels are eco-leather.
I liked this decision – the “skin” is very pleasant to the touch, does not slip in the hand, and does not leave fingerprints (if you do not like covers, it is an ideal option). In general, it gives the impression of a “premium” product.
On the back (when the phone is folded) we see the Motorola logo and the name of the line. On the front is an island that contains the outer screen (protected by Gorilla Glass Victus) and two camera pins.
The left side has a slot for only one nanoSIM card (the second number can only be added with an eSIM). The right side already has function buttons – power with a fingerprint scanner and volume control. On the bottom end is the earpiece speaker and USB-C connector.
The hinge design looks robust, and the manufacturer claims a service life of up to 400,000 bends. The process of opening and closing is smooth, without any extraneous sounds. The smartphone has a magnetic folding mechanism, which is reliable and safe.
You can place the phone on a table in any half-folded position, and the screen will be comfortable to hold.
At the same time, the razr 40 can be easily used with one hand, which is very convenient. With the Samsung Flip, it was not so easy.
When the gadget is closed, you can’t see the gap between the halves; over time, the folding beds have gotten rid of this drawback.
We have the same thing on Galaxy Flip5, for comparison, the recess on Moto is less noticeable than on Samsung, but you can still see it. This is especially noticeable in good light, the light is refracted in the recess, images and texts are slightly distorted. When you swipe your finger across the screen, this “dimple” is also very noticeable.
Although our editor-in-chief scolds the company’s engineers for this feature, because he is used to the fact that previous models did not have this bend at all.
I should note that the smartphone screen has plastic bezels that protrude above it. Obviously, this is done to protect it: if you close the lid with some small particles inside, the space between the two halves will save the screen itself.
As I mentioned, there is a protective film on the screen. You don’t need to remove it, as it is part of the protection of the moving screen. However, there is a small gap between this film and the protruding screen bezel where dust can collect.
Another problem is the poor oleophobic coating of this film. The smartphone collects fingerprints, there are a lot of them, and it’s hard to wipe them off. Interestingly, we noticed the same thing with Galaxy Flip5.
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Unlike the Ultra model, where the entire front panel is occupied by a screen, the base model razr 40 has a small 1.5-inch screen with a resolution of 194×36 pixels. The screen refresh rate is standard 60 Hz, and the brightness reaches 1000 nits. Its functionality is severely reduced, and the control principle resembles fitness bracelets.
Swipe left to see special widgets. Interestingly, they are disabled by default and need to be added in the settings. These can be widgets for audio control, weather, voice recorder, timer, calendar, contacts, etc.
In the settings, you can also change the display design – the choice is very wide, which allows you to customise the appearance of your smartphone.
But the best part is that you can use the external screen to take photos and videos! You can either double-click on the phone’s power button or simply make a double wrist swipe to activate the screen to shoot with the main camera.
The external screen is of high quality and reliable, it responds quickly to commands, but it could be a little bigger. But well, if we want more, we’ll have to buy the Ultra version.
I agree that the external screen is interesting, but only at first glance. In fact, the folding screen is elongated, has an aspect ratio of 22:9 and a diagonal of 6.9 inches. Its resolution is Full HD+, 2640×1080 pixels to be precise, and thanks to LTPO technology, we also have an adaptive refresh rate from 1 to 144 Hz.
The screen’s “slimness” provides comfort when working with texts, instant messages and social networks. The screen is bright and pleasing to the eye with rich colours, and in bright sunlight the display does not fade and all elements remain legible. So in terms of the screen, this phone is very good.
As I wrote earlier, the main screen has protruding side bezels, not too big. At the top we see the earpiece speaker and the front camera.
There are several display-related options in the settings. First of all, you can choose between natural and saturated colours, as well as adjust the colour temperature and reduce flicker.
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At the heart of the razr 40 is a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor, combined with 8GB of RAM (you can add 2GB of virtual RAM) and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. And we see that even in a smartphone costing $715 there are simplifications, including this mid-range processor from last year.
However, I can’t say that the phone slowed down or stuttered – it was lightning fast. The only thing I didn’t like was that it gets warm when working at medium loads (especially on top). Apparently, this is due to the fact that the case is too thin.
The smartphone runs on a well-organised and optimised Android 13 system with Motorola’s MyUX shell, which offers its own features.
There are no fundamental differences compared to regular Android, there are the usual options and gestures (for example, double shaking the phone to turn on the flashlight), as well as extensive personalisation options – themes, fonts, icon shapes, etc. There are many settings options for music playback or biometric (and other) security.
There is also a sidebar – a convenient sidebar with many settings:
And windowed mode:
However, we will not describe all the features of Motorola software here, as we have already done this in a separate large article where you can read about absolutely all the features of smartphones of this brand.
The most interesting aspect is the optimisation of the internal screen for comfortable work, taking into account its size. More precisely, the ability to use “two halves of the screen” at the same time. Unfortunately, only a small number of applications support this feature. For example, you can take a selfie or record a video using a half-folded phone on a table. You can also watch YouTube, and that’s about it for now. But you’d like to chat in a similar mode via WhatsApp or Messenger, for example.
Of course, there’s also a split-screen mode (like on other Moto phones), so you can open two apps on two halves of the screen, for example. But this is not very convenient, because the “Flip” models do not have very large screens. Another thing is “Fold”, but Motorola doesn’t have such an alternative yet.
The device supports Ready For wireless connectivity, which means that it can be connected to a laptop or monitor and work as a mini-computer. We also wrote about this mode in detail in a separate large article.
It should be noted that Moto declares three years of support in the form of major (i.e. system) updates and four years for security patches.
Read also: Review Motorola’s proprietary apps and features
The camera set on this model looks like this:
Despite the small number of modules, the kit works well. The selfie sensor makes smooth portraits, I’m satisfied.
Here are examples of selfies taken with the internal camera:
Comparison of photos with and without portrait mode (right):
Improvement mode (right):
A selfie taken with the external screen and the main camera:
The 64MP main camera with f/1.7 aperture and laser autofocus is also very good. Photos are rich in colour and contrast. I only have some comments on colour reproduction. And if the light is not perfect, more and more often you get not very clear, blurry photos. Yes, not the flagship level, but still an adequate result. In the end, we are looking at a compact clamshell, where the emphasis is not on the cameras, but on the format/appearance. Here are examples of pictures from the main camera:
When it comes to night photography, I can confidently recommend using the night mode. It has all the benefits of brightening up the images, adding detail to the frame and eliminating graininess.
Without this mode, night shots are very poor, like this:
Photos in wide-angle mode also don’t differ too much in quality from the main module, although the colour reproduction is slightly different. Here are examples, the photo from the wide-angle module on the right:
There is also a zoom of 8x maximum (quite acceptable image quality), with almost no loss of quality at 2x. Our examples:
The video quality is high (4K@30fps or 1080p@30/60fps), especially in good light.
I can’t help but mention the camera app settings – they are simple and neat. Even an inexperienced user will be able to handle it.
My only comment in the end (not about the model specifically, but about folding beds in general) is that I like to take quick photos and do them often. For me, the problem was that I had to turn my smartphone around all the time to take a picture, and it takes time, so keep that in mind when choosing this particular form factor.
In terms of connectivity, there is Wi-Fi 6e (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ac/ax), 2.4+5+6 GHz, 5G, 4G LTE and LTE-A, 3G, 2G and Bluetooth version 5.3. There are also NFC, GPS (+A-GPS), LTEPP, SUPL, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou modules.
All modules have the latest versions and work flawlessly.
Read also: Moto G73 5G review: A very successful budget phone
I won’t open America, there are two ways to unlock it – a fingerprint scanner and face recognition.
Personally, I almost always use the sensor located on the side power button – it’s the fastest and best way to instantly unlock the gadget. It works instantly, you just put your finger on the screen with the screen closed, and the device recognises you anyway.
You can also unlock Moto with your face – using the internal camera. Although for me this is not a very convenient way – the process takes a little longer, the phone does not recognise you in low light.
The Motorola razr 40 has a 4200 mAh battery. Don’t be surprised that such a small, slim folding body can’t hold more. If you compare this capacity with the batteries of flagship devices, you might be disappointed. But with foldable models, the situation is a little different. For example, Samsung Galaxy Flip 5 has 3700 mAh, Oppo Find N2 Flip has 4300 mAh.
A 33W charger is used for charging. To reach 100%, we need an hour – not fast, but okay.
I didn’t use wireless charging because it has low power (only 5 watts), which means that the charging process takes a very long time, and it’s not worth it (I only charge at night). But if you work at your desk and your phone is always next to you, why not have it on a wireless charger and quietly get energy?
The sound in the razr 40 is at a decent level – there is a surround stereo effect with Dolby Atmos support, as well as support for SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive and high-resolution LDAC and LHDC codecs. The sound is clear and balanced, with no lack of bass.
Read also: Motorola Moto G23 Review: Too many simplifications
Motorola razr 40 is a relatively “cheap” folding smartphone that is not without its drawbacks. And who doesn’t have them?
It doesn’t have the latest processor, it doesn’t have the biggest battery, it sometimes gets noticeably hot during operation, and the external display can hardly be called convenient for anyone because of its size. But there is another side of the coin, a better one. So, here’s a list of Moto razr 40 advantages:
As for competitors, there are not many, only the already mentioned Samsung Galaxy Flip 5 and Oppo Find N2 Flip. Both are more expensive – from ∼$770 to ∼$1060. Not much more expensive, of course, but is it worth overpaying? For starters, you can compare all three smartphones here.
And in short, Samsung’s Flip looks the most interesting, as it has IPx8 water protection, a thinner body, a larger secondary screen, a better main display, more sophisticated software, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, faster UFS 4.0 memory, as well as faster USB 3.2 and faster inductive charging with reverse charging support. The only problem is the weak 3700 mAh battery. And a more noticeable fold line. So, if you have the opportunity to overpay, Samsung looks like a more interesting option. But the Razr 40 is newer, and its price will continue to drop.
As for OPPO’s model, the Find N2 Flip costs about ∼$1060, and at this price, it’s not that competitive. The model has a plastic body without water protection, the chipset is the latest, but Mediatek. The battery has a good capacity of 4300 mAh, but there is no wireless charging. The external screen is larger than Moto’s, but smaller than Samsung’s. Memory is faster compared to razr, but slower compared to Galaxy Flip and so on…. For this price, OPPO does not look like an option at all.
A third competitor could be the more expensive razr 40 Ultra (its review will also appear on the site soon) for ∼$1010. Is it worth overpaying for a nice large external flip display, a better chipset, and faster memory? It depends on how much money you have. And it’s worth remembering that the more powerful model has a weaker battery.
Well, it’s up to the buyer to decide whether to choose the razr 40, but it’s safe to say that the model deserves attention, so the foldable Motorola will definitely win its loyal fans. At least thanks to a better battery than Samsung’s.
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